Bee-Sustaining Artificial Flowers

Matilde Boelhouwer's Emergency Flowers are Saving the Bees

Dutch designer Matilde Boelhouwer skillfully addresses urban sustainability issues by creating artificial flowers that are designed for saving the bees within the parameters of the metropolitan city. Appropriately dubbed 'Food for Buzz,' the creative's artificial flowers have the ability to turn rain into sugar. The initative boasts five kinds of flowers that attract "the big five of pollination — bees, bumblebees, hoverflies, butterflies, and moths."

Matilde Boelhouwer's colorful creations are made with screen-printed polyester. Each flower is a cluster of laser-cut petals and a small 3D-printed container that collects the water. The water is transported down the stem to another tank, filled with sugar. The two mix and afterward, the water is pumped back to the original collector where it does its part for saving the bees.